


Somnia Moon

by AerynLeigh



Series: Somnia Moon [1]
Category: Somnia Moon
Genre: Alex x Christina is OTP, BDSM, Damn, Death, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Horror, I don't even know how many genres this damned story has, I don't have an incest fetish I swear, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't think I'm using the tagging feature correctly, I have absolutely no idea what I'm writing, I just know that this story has taken over my life and I need to share it, I mean because Rowen exists, I mean it isn't really science fiction but it has alternate dimensions, I mean they get a whole lot worse first but still, I promise, I think I'm close to spoiling the entire story so I should probably stop, I wonder what Jake and Evan would be like together, I'M SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME, I'M SO SORRY ROWEN, I'M SO SORRY ROWEN YOUR SUFFERING IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, M/M, OK I should probably stop this now, OK that's not true he has people who care but not anyone like Jake, Original Content - Freeform, PTSD because Rowen exists, Science Fiction, Things will get better I promise, Violence, actually Rowen x Christina is OTP, actually Rowen x Jake is OTP because they're adorable, ahem Evan, also your sister's a psychopath and I need to effectively convey that, at least you have a family who cares about you unlike some people, depression because Rowen and Evan exist, don't go there Jake's straight and Evan's 16, don't judge I'm new here, implied sexual abuse because Alex exists, like seriously she needs to sort her life out, man Alex is such a mess, murder because Christina exists, ok there's literally one bdsm scene, screw it I need more tags, self harm because Evan exists, seriously I care about my characters more than I care about actual people, so does Rowen because she's also a mess, themes of suicide because I exist, wait Jake isn't even in this book, what I'm not suicidal, what am I even saying they're freaking sisters, what else should i tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-02-28 19:44:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13278564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AerynLeigh/pseuds/AerynLeigh
Summary: When 18 year old Alex Falls wakes up in a strange dimension with no idea how she got there, she doesn't know how to react. She's experienced all kinds of strange phenomena in her life, but her emotions are beaten, tormented and torn apart within a single day of living in this world, her relationships strained and her life drastically altered. Whilst desperately trying to solve the mystery of how she and her friends ended up in this dimension, she also becomes intertwined in the town's disturbing past, and discovers things about herself that she doesn't want to admit. And with each passing second, becomes more and more dangerous.A/N There may be slight character and plot inconsistencies as this is only a draft and I haven't fully developed everything yet because I'm a professional procrastinator and intricate plot details are really hard to work out...





	1. New Reality

The first thing Alex heard as she phased back into consciousness was the cheerful chirping of birds outside her bedroom window. She snuggled deeper under her duvet, her own little cocoon of warmth, and found herself wondering in that nonsensical way that one does after waking whether the birds were actually singing to one another or merely talking. She liked birds. She loved how graceful they were as they glided through the air, how carefree they seemed as they soared through the clouds. Their singing was relaxing. Therapeutic, almost. It differed greatly from the constant roaring of traffic she had grown accustomed to in the few months she had spent at her new apartment.

She frowned, eyes still closed. Traffic. Why couldn't she hear the traffic? Her apartment was located on the bottom floor adjacent to a busy London street. She was always greeted by the growling of engines and honking of horns in the morning, never birdsong. In fact, she was pretty sure she had never even seen a bird in the surrounding area, let alone heard one. So why could she hear them now?

Something just...didn't seem right. She felt as though there was something important she was forgetting, something so, so important, but she just couldn't remember what. Alex lay there for a while longer, snuggled under the duvet that she was beginning to suspect was not her own, unease creeping slowly up her body until she couldn't handle it anymore and was forced to open her eyes. Just as she suspected, the ceiling she was gazing up at was not one she had any previous recollection of – and then it hit her. Gunfire. Screaming. People, her friends, falling down around her. The feeling of a bullet penetrating her skin...

Alex sat bolt upright, her light brown eyes wide and panicked. The bed she had been sleeping in was situated in the corner of a large room that was made entirely out of wood, next to a window overlooking a dense forest. She had absolutely no idea how she had got here, especially after...

"Ah! You're awake!" a voice said from the corner of the room. Alex glanced in the direction of the voice and noticed for the first time the strange figure perched on a chair reading a leather-bound book. It was like nothing she had ever seen before – and that was saying something, as Alex had seen all manner of strange things in the past few months. It had a perfectly round head, and was gazing at her with wide, spherical, and completely black eyes. The suit it wore was old-fashioned, and reminded her of something a pirate might have worn. It was incredibly slim, so much so that it looked almost like a skeleton, and it wore a top hat on its bald head.

Alex glared at the creature, her brain struggling to comprehend what was happening. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess; she had so many questions competing against one another to be the first asked that she was finding it difficult to form a coherent thought. She opened her mouth, about to ask where she was, but before she could say anything she decided it might be better to ask who the creature was first. She closed her mouth again, unsure what to say.

"Hi." she said, after an uncomfortably long pause.

"Hello! Now, I understand that you may be quite shocked at seeing a creature as strange as I, but I must assure you that -"

"I've seen stranger things." Alex interrupted. The creature looked slightly taken aback.

"Oh...well, that does make my job slightly easier!" it smiled, a smile that displayed only one, sharp tooth jutting out on the right, like a vampire fang. 

"Um... what – um, where am I?" Alex asked, finally deciding on a question. 

"Welcome, my friend, to Illuminae, a quite town on the eastern side of Somnia Moon, a few miles south from The Freedom Complex. You are welcome to stay as long as needed. I do hope you like it here!"

"Somnia...what? I...don't understand... what country is this?"

"Country? I am afraid I have never quite come to terms with the phrase...many people ask that question upon first appearing here, but I have never understood what it is they are talking about. I suppose you have never heard of Somnia Moon?"

"Um...no." Alex said, more confused than she had ever been in her entire life. 

"Somnia Moon is the name we have given this world that we reside within! I am never quite sure as to why nobody who arrives here has any knowledge of where they are...I don't suppose you remember how you got here, do you?"

"Nope."

"Hmm... it is puzzling... but then, everything here is puzzling in one way or another." it said, leaving Alex wondering what it meant. It began speaking again before she could ask, however. "Would you mind telling me the last thing you remember?"

"Um... yes. Yes, I would mind."

"Oh." It seemed slightly disconcerted.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't really know you well enough to tell you any information about me. I don't know if I can trust you."

"Of course. That is perfectly understandable." It sat there awkwardly, seemingly unsure of what to say next.

"So...um...who exactly are you?" Alex asked, using the silence as an opportunity to ask more questions, perfectly aware of how hypocritical she was being.

"I am known here as Piper, and was recently elected mayor of this town. Well...it wasn't exactly recent, now that I think about it...perhaps a few hundred years ago? But then, in comparison to how long I have been here, it was a fairly recent event."

Alex stared at him, her brain whirling with the dozen questions that last statement had just given her. She took a deep breath, trying to prevent herself from freaking out. She was finding it difficult to accept this situation – she had no idea where she was or how she got here, and she was talking to a creature that she was indecisive over whether it more resembled a horrifying monster or a cute little puppy. 

"So, now that you know my name, I feel it would only be polite for you to tell me yours?"

"It's Alex. Falls. Alex Falls."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Alex." Piper extended his arm, indicating he wanted to shake hands. Alex hesitantly accepted, trying to remember the last time someone had introduced themselves that way.

"So... I'm kind of confused...okay, I am confused...how... exactly did I end up here?"

"My associate, Myddnight, found you unconscious in the forest. He immediately brought you here, and... now here you are!" he smiled again, displaying his only tooth.

"Right..."

"Now, I understand that you may be a little confused at the moment, so it would probably be a good idea to leave all of the paper work until another day...you may stay in this hotel for now, if you'd like. The wardrobe is fully stocked with fresh, clean clothes that should fit you and the bathroom is just through that door."

"Hotel? Um...I'm sorry but I don't have any money or anything to pay you with..."

"Oh, fear not, my dear friend! There is no money in Illuminae! From what I gather, the system we have here is significantly different from the one you have. I shall explain more about all of that at a later date. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall leave you to get settled." Piper stood up as he said this, and moved towards the door. "I know how daunting this must be for you, so I will try not to bother you until you are ready. It was awfully nice to meet you!"

"Um... it was nice to meet you too..." 

And with that, he was gone, and Alex was left sat on the bed feeling ever so slightly dazed. 

What the hell was going on? Was she dreaming? Was she hallucinating, or something? The last thing she remembered was being shot at by what could only be described as mercenaries, after having to deal with Rowen breaking out of prison again... and now she seemed to be in an entirely different dimension, with aliens and everything. No matter how she looked at it, this whole scenario just didn't seem feasible...

She sat there for a moment, surveying her surroundings. Directly in front of the bed was the door that presumably lead to the bathroom, and next to that was a large wooden wardrobe with a pretty floral pattern carved onto the doors. On the right hand side of the room was a circle of armchairs positioned around a coffee table; just beyond that was the door that Piper had exited from. 

So... what exactly had happened? She remembered the alarms sounding throughout the building, remembered running through the corridor to find Rowen just standing there in that calm manner of hers, making no attempt to run or fight, remembered the shock on her face as the bullet embedded itself into her stomach... she remembered watching each of her friends fall as they tried in vain to protect themselves against the oncoming wave of bullets, and she remembered falling herself, but then...

Nothing. She'd awoken here. Wherever here was...

She flopped onto her back, exasperated, and lay staring at the ceiling for a while. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe she was dreaming, and that if she was dreaming perhaps she would awaken if she fell asleep in the dream-world... she was pretty tired, after all, and there was very minimal light outside the window. She closed her eyes, and despite everything that had happened in the last ten minutes she fell asleep almost instantaneously


	2. Christina

The arrow spiralled through the air, embedding itself into the young girl’s chest before Alex had time to register what had happened. She stared at the girl, who was standing in front of a ball of light that was slowly decreasing in size, as she fell to the dusty floor. The sky was painted red by the setting sun. The only sound was the desperate screams of Rowen, who had fallen to the ground in despair, her ginger hair cascading over her tear-stained face.  
All of a sudden, everything disappeared, and Alex found herself in a room, her own room, with two people standing above her bed, where she was lying. One, a 19 year old woman named Zoe Blackwood, and the other a 12 year old girl named Holly Keres, both of whom she had met a little under a year ago. They were laughing, but it wasn’t in the casual way that they normally did; it was menacing, like she was a little girl in a school playground and they were the bullies.  
“You shot her? You actually shot her?” Zoe said, smiling.  
“Rowen is going to be pissed...” Holly added, sending Zoe into a fit of giggles. And then they disappeared, to be replaced with a long corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. Rowen was standing directly in front of her, her usually immaculate hair knotted and stained with blood. Her expression was neutral, as usual, despite the fact that her white shirt had been ripped open in several places and countless deep cuts decorated her pale skin, staining her shirt red.  
“I’m going to kill you, Alex.” she said without emotion. She smiled, a sickly-sweet smile, and then everything went black.

*

Bright light shone through the window, filling Alex’s mind and forcing her to squint despite her eyes being closed. Opening her eyes took a little while as she adjusted to the light, but once she did she found that she was still in the wooden hotel room, not back home.  
So it wasn’t a dream, then.  
Ever so slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms above her head in an attempt to wake herself up. She sat there for a moment, staring at the trees outside the window, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do now. Really, it seemed like the best course of action would be to leave the hotel room and attempt to find answers to the ever-growing list of questions inside her head – she imagined that would be easier said than done, but decided to get ready to leave regardless.  
She stood up and walked towards the bathroom but stopped halfway there, remembering her dream. She hadn't had one like that in a while. One that reminded her of the past. She pushed it aside – thinking about things like that could potentially be dangerous, especially now when she needed more than ever to be focused.  
Upon opening the bathroom door, Alex discovered that it consisted of merely a shower on the right hand side and a bath on the left. Nothing else.  
Strange.  
On the subject of strange, she realized she was neither hungry or thirsty despite the fact she must have been in the hotel for at least twelve hours. The entire situation seemed to get weirder by the minute.  
Showering was an unpleasant experience, as the shower didn't seem capable of producing warm water and the velocity at which the freezing water sprayed was inconsistent. There were times when it shot out so forcefully that it physically hurt when it smacked against her skin, and others when it trickled out so slowly it was like a broken tap, so she got out as quickly as possible. She got changed into her own clothes, black jeans and a bright red vest top, after finding the contents of the wardrobe unsatisfactory and took the key from where it was placed on the coffee table before leaving the hotel room.  
The corridors were narrow, the floors bare, and the ceiling worryingly decrepit, with many cracks lacerating its surface. There appeared to be only six rooms on this floor, with four wooden doors on one wall and one either side of the staircase on the other. She proceeded to descend the staircase, not stopping until she reached the next floor, which turned out to be the ground floor. She left without encountering anyone other than the receptionist, an athletic looking middle aged man who gazed at her menacingly as she passed. It was more than a little unnerving.   
An array of different sounds and smells filled Alex's senses as she opened the door to the outside world. The air was fresh, with the aroma of freshly cut grass, and she could hear the birds singing again, although it was   
much fainter than it had been yesterday. A few people wandered around, each looking equally busy as they speed-walked in and out of the cobblestone streets with various objects cradled in their arms.   
A large fountain sat in the middle of a square of cobblestone, which had many paths varying in size stemming from it. Directly in front of where Alex was standing, three small paths from the fountain lead to three equally spaced bricked houses with brown tiled rooves, each fairly small with a door in the centre and a window on either side. On the left hand side of the fountain a slightly larger path lead to a marble staircase which belonged to a much grander looking house that covered a significantly bigger surface area than any of the other houses. It was completely white, with a circular clock in the centre of the gabled roof that was held in place by a number of tall pillars. On the right hand side of the fountain was what appeared to be the biggest path that stretched on as far as she could see before it was consumed by the trees. Other paths originated from it that presumably lead to more settlements. If she looked past all the houses, she could see nothing but trees in every direction.  
Alex timidly took a step forward, but was confronted by a young looking woman carrying an armful of heavy logs before she could get anywhere.  
“Hi! You must be Alex, right? Alex Falls?” she spoke in an American accent, not unlike Rowen's. Her brown hair fell just above her elbow and was slightly darker than Alex's, which was a light ash brown colour. It had a sort of reddish quality to it. A few freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, and her eye colour was somewhere in between hazel and green.  
“Um, yeah. That's me. Hi.”  
“Hey, how are you? You must be feeling pretty overwhelmed right now, right? I mean, I know exactly how you feel – we've all been there, after all – but trust me, once you've got over the initial confusion, you realise that it's not all that bad here. You're gonna fit in fine here, you'll see.” she seemed almost a little too cheerful, which Alex found slightly suspicious, but she tried not to over think it. Occasionally, she did meet someone who was genuinely nice; it just wasn't a regular occurrence.  
“I'm fine, thank you.”  
“That's good! So, Piper suggested that I show you around, if you want? So you can like...get familiarized with your surroundings?”  
“Um...sure?” Alex said somewhat reluctantly. She was so used to treating everyone as though they were guilty until proven innocent that she'd sort of alienated the prospect of accepting help from strangers, but this was a special circumstance, so she decided to allow it just this once.  
“Great!” she exclaimed in delight. “I just need to go drop these logs off at my house – I'm the woodcarver, you see, I make all the furniture and stuff – and then we can get going!”  
“Ok...”  
“Oh, I'm Christina, by the way. Nice to meet you! I would shake your hand but...” she gestured to the logs she was carrying.  
“Can I ask you something?”  
“Sure!”  
“What – um... ok, so what the hell is going on? You keep talking as though everything is completely normal, like you get a lot of people who just... appear here... I just...” Alex looked around, exasperated, trying to figure out exactly what it was she wanted to ask. “Just... I don't understand.”  
“Hey, it's ok, really it is.” she smiled sympathetically. “No one knows why it happens. Every single person in this town – probably every single person in Somnia Moon – has been in your position at some point or another. You're just gonna have to accept this as your new home. Trust me, it makes it a whole lot easier if you stop asking questions and learn to accept that for whatever reason, you're here now.”  
“But – ”   
“Shh...” Christina placed her finger on Alex's lips, somehow managing to not drop the logs. “I think that's enough questions for now.” she smiled, but it was a sinister sort of smile, one that came across as a sort of threat. Alex didn't move a muscle. The moment stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, with Christina gazing deep into Alex's eyes as though she was reading her like a book, analysing her, staring deep into her soul.  
“Ok! Follow me!” Christina suddenly turned on her heal and began walking towards the first house in the row of three, a spring in her step. Alex stayed frozen where she was, unsure what to make of what just happened. She'd met a lot of dangerous people in her lifetime – murderers, criminals, people who would kill her in an instant if she made the wrong move – but not a single one of them made her feel as uneasy as Christina did, which she found strange. There was just something about her that perturbed her a little; perhaps the way she looked at her, like she knew something Alex didn't.  
“Hey, are you coming?” Christina called from where she stood by the fountain, which was sparkling in the early morning sunlight. She waited for Alex to catch up before walking the rest of the way to the house, which Alex assumed belonged to her. Christina's house was the only one to be enclosed by an accurately trimmed hedge – the others were all surrounded by generic wooden fences.  
Christina dumped the logs on the door step between two beautiful red rose bushes. She turned to face Alex, and smiled amiably.   
“Ok! So, that right there is the Town Hall,” she pointed to the white mansion. “I take it you've met Piper? That's where he lives. If you have any questions, or need to report a crime or whatever, that's the place to go. The house next to mine belongs to Billy, who makes toys, although he's staying in the hotel at the moment due to a cockroach infestation, but hopefully that'll be sorted out soon... then the one next to that is where Jackson lives, he's a plumber. The house over there next to the hotel is currently empty, and the one next to that belongs to Evie, a builder.”  
“Ok.” Alex paused for a moment, unsure if asking her anything would be wise. “So, um... how do you get a house here? Piper said – ”  
“I thought I said that was enough questions for now?” Christina smiled as she said this, but the tone she spoke in made it seem like a warning. Alex was silent, unsure what she was supposed to say.  
“Whatever. It's pretty simple: you get a job, you get a house, you stop doing your job, you lose the house. Everyone here exchanges services – for example, I don't get paid to make people furniture and Jackson doesn't get paid to sort out people's water. We all sort of help each other out, treat each other equally, and if anyone refuses to provide their service for someone, they lose their citizenship and get kicked out of Illuminae. It's a pretty cool way of living.” Christina explained.  
“It... does sound pretty perfect...” Alex stuttered a little as she spoke, not certain as to whether Christina wanted her to speak. She had a certain quality that frightened her a little, therefore making her want to adhere to her wishes.  
“Yep! I mean, it's not completely perfect, but then nothing is, right?”  
“I guess not...” Alex was finding Christina's attitude changes a little discombobulating.  
“I mean, there have been a few cases of missing children, but it's ok. They probably just ran off. They haven't turned up dead or anything.” she paused for a moment. “Except for that one time when Laura woke up one morning to find little Emily cut up into tiny little pieces, but that was only one time. Oh, and then there was Zachary who was found nailed to a tree with his intestines hanging out, but again, that was just the one time. And Roland who we couldn't find for weeks until Evie found his corpse on the roof of his house being slowly pecked at by crows...” She stared into the distance, her eyes slightly wider than usual, and Alex could have sworn she saw the hint of a smile playing on her lips.  
“Anyway, nothing like that has happened in weeks. You want me to show you the rest of town?” Christina asked, still ridiculously light-hearted despite what she'd just recounted.   
“Sure...” Alex said, feeling slightly nauseous. There was something incredibly unsettling about the way Christina spoke – like she thought there was nothing wrong with what she just described. Like she didn't really care, but was only pretending she did.  
“Alright! This way!” She began walking towards the path that lead off into the forest, followed shortly by Alex. Once they reached it, she could see a house on either side of it that she hadn't noticed before; Christina informed her that the house to their left was unoccupied, and that the house to their right belonged to Tillie and Tyler, both electricians. A little further along the path branched out to the left and right, as well as continuing forwards, and she took her along the path to the left.  
“So, how are things in the magic community?” Christina inquired casually as they walked along the uneven cobblestone path.  
“What? ” Alex exclaimed, caught completely off guard.  
“Oh, don't look so surprised. A lot more people know about it in Somnia Moon than they do back on Earth. It's kinda hard to avoid it. So, the RML still in charge?”  
“But how – ”  
“How do I know you know about it? I don't know, you just have a... certain quality, I guess.” she pointed to a house on their right. “That's where the Zaragoza's live. They're such a nice family... they work with fabric, so they often help me with furniture. I provide the framework, they make the cushions. So, the RML?”  
“No, they're not exactly in charge any more...” Alex chose her words carefully, not wanting to reveal too much information.  
“Great! I hated them! Like, they had all of these stupid rules that they forced us to follow, like not revealing our magic to the public and whatever, and then they never actually bothered to follow the rules themselves! So hypocritical... so what happened?”  
“It's...complicated.”  
“Well, I have a lot of free time. Tell me everything.” Christina ordered, seeming excessively eager. She pointed to a house on their left. “Chloe and Howard live there. They both contribute to the up-keeping of the area – you know, gardening and all that. So anyway? The RML?”  
“Um...well, a woman named Rowen basically took over...”  
“Rowen...?”  
“Hall.”  
“Rowen Hall? Really... now that is interesting...” she smiled secretively.   
“Do you...know her?” Alex circumspectly asked.  
“No... just... heard of her. She's pretty powerful, right?”  
“You could say that...” Alex couldn't help but picture Rowen utilising her power as she said this, remembering the way she would stand perfectly still, lift up her hand and make a slight motion, killing whoever it was she was gesturing to instantly. The way in which she killed them depended entirely on how she was feeling – usually, she damaged them internally in some way, causing them to just drop dead of seemingly no cause, but occasionally – perhaps if she felt they deserved to suffer – she would completely tear them apart, decapitate them, tear out their internal organs all whilst wearing a blank facial expression as though the acts she were performing didn't bother her in the slightest.  
“So what happened to her?”  
“How did you know that –”  
“Don't answer my question with another question.” Christina's tone darkened again as she spoke. “I just figured that something must have happened to her, seeing as it wouldn't be particularly complicated if the story ended there. Right?”  
“Um... well, yes, there is more to it...”   
“Well, go on. Tell me what happened.”  
“Well... she, um... her methods were – she killed a lot of innocent people, and imprisoned a lot more, so we... we were forced to sort of... stop her.” Alex stammered. Christina's line of questioning was forcing her to relive certain memories that she didn't feel she was quite ready to relive...  
“How'd you manage that?” They walked past another house, but Christina didn't bother to commentate on it.  
“Um...” Alex hesitated, not particularly wanting to say any more. “We... distracted her... long enough to inject her with this magic binding... thing...”   
“How'd you distract her?”  
“I...I don't – could we talk about something else, please?”  
“Why? Are you hiding something? Did little baby Alex do something bad?” Christina said in a sing-song voice. She stopped walking and placed one hand on her hip. Alex halted next to her, wanting desperately for this conversation to be over, but knowing that if she walked off Christina would only follow her.  
“I... I don't want to...”   
“Ahh, you don't wanna talk about it? You can't run from the past forever, Alex.” she smiled patronizingly. “Come on now. You can tell me. I won't tell a single person. Cross my heart, hope to die, you can kill me if I lie.”  
“I really think it would be best if –”  
“I'm getting impatient, Alex.” she tapped her fingers against her hip and stared intently at Alex in an incredibly threatening manner. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, her vision becoming blurry. She took a deep, shaky breath, and looked directly into Christina's eyes.  
“I killed her daughter.” Alex said softly. Her voice caught in her throat, and despite her best efforts, a tear fell down her face. She immediately wiped it away.  
“You killed her daughter? Her poor, innocent, defenceless daughter? Why on Earth would you do something like that, Alex? Just so you could capture and imprison her mother? Do you really think she deserved that? Do you really think she deserved to have her ridiculously short life ended before she was able to achieve her full potential? Before she was able to even figure out who she really was? Do you really think –”  
“It wasn't like that!” Alex exclaimed, her voice raised. “We didn't know what she was trying to do! She could have been trying to destroy everything for all we knew! I just...I...” her voiced choked up, tears rolling freely down her cheeks as she was consumed by guilt. She had tried so hard to block it from her mind, to pretend like it never happened, like it didn't matter. But it did matter. She could try to hide from her actions, and the consequences of those actions, but they would always find her, always come crashing into her when she was least expecting it. Because of that one, ridiculously stupid mistake, she’d lost so, so much…  
“Ahh, listen to you trying to make excuses. It doesn’t matter if it was an “accident” or not. You didn’t have the right to end her life, did you? You don’t think she had feelings? You don’t think she had a life? You don’t think she had hopes and dreams that are never going to be fulfilled because you took every little aspect that made her human and obliterated it in to nothingness. You. Not Rowen. Not the RML. You. So who's the real monster? Who should really be locked up?”  
Alex collapsed onto the floor, sobbing hysterically. Memories swirled around inside her head, dragging her down, suffocating her, completely extinguishing her happiness like water dousing a flame.   
“You wanna know something?” Christina leered over her, her eyes wide. “What happened to Felix? It was completely your fault. Completely and utterly your fault. If it wasn't for you, he'd still be alive.”  
“How could you possibly –”  
“Telepathy.”  
“What?”  
“I can read your mind, Alex.” she said, grinning.  
“But then surely you wouldn't have needed to ask –”  
“Of course I didn't need to ask you anything.”  
“Then why...?” Alex sputtered, her voice wavering, tears still streaming down her face.  
Christina giggled. “It's more fun that way.”  
Alex peered up at her fearfully, seeing the insanity behind her eyes. She was quite clearly enjoying making her suffer this way, quite clearly revelling in her pain. And Alex was scared. Absolutely terrified. If Christina was capable of reducing her to this emotional mess with words alone, what else was she capable of? To what extent was she prepared to go to in order to fulfil her sadistic needs?  
“You know what? It's a pretty small town, I'm sure you don't need me to show you. I'm sure you'll be able to find your own way. See you around!” Christina said, once again exceedingly upbeat. She gave her one last friendly smile before turning and walking back the way they'd come, leaving Alex alone with her misery. She sat there, her sorrow tumbling out of her eyes in salty droplets, for what felt like hours, unable to find the energy to stand. People ignored her as they walked past. Someone even tripped over her and pushed her onto her side in frustration. She didn't care.  
By the time she'd finally stopped crying, the sun was high in the sky, and the golden rays shone down and shimmered on the tears that tarnished her pale skin.


	3. The Forest

The sound of Alex's heavy footfalls was drowned by the various conversations being held by the hordes of people that filled the town square. She walked with her head low, observing in great detail the smooth surface of the cobblestone pathways, refusing to make eye contact. Her encounter with Christina had made her feel as though she was not welcome here – she felt incredibly out of place, and longed more than ever to be back home, where she understood how everything worked, where she wasn't subjected to the torturous nature of the people who lived here.  
She began to walk back towards the hotel, passing the shimmering fountain.  
“Alex!” A familiar sounding voice called, jolting her out of her thoughts. Alex turned and saw Zoe Blackwood, a nineteen year old woman with incredibly dark brown hair that fell just above her shoulders, running towards her. She was wearing a grey crop top and denim shorts that were same shade of blue as her eyes. She collided with her with almost enough force to take her off her feet, and wrapped her arms around her in an ever so slightly too tight hug.   
“You are here! I figured you might be, seeing as both Holly and Evan are, but I wasn't completely sure, and... wait, have you been crying?” Zoe said, perceptive as usual.  
“Oh, um... no, I'm just tired...” Alex stuttered, unsure as to why she was lying. She guessed it was probably because she didn't want to explain the reasons behind her breakdown for fear she would start crying again.  
Zoe crossed her arms. “Alex. Come on. When have you ever been able to lie to me?”  
“I'm not lying.”  
“Alex, your face is so red you look like a freaking lobster. Your eyes are blood-shot, your hair is a complete mess, and I can literally see tear stains on your top. You have been crying, and I, as one of your closest, bestest friends, would like to know why so that I can beat the living shit out of whoever or whatever caused you to feel this way. Capiche?”  
Despite how depressed she felt, she smiled. No matter what situation she found herself in, Zoe always managed to cheer her up somehow; she almost never took anything seriously, making it easy for her to turn even the most severe event into a joke.  
“Honestly, it's nothing. Ok?”  
“I do not believe that for a second.”   
Alex sighed, and, rather reluctantly, recounted her exchange with Christina. She neglected to mention Christina's identity or mind reading abilities, though, stating instead that the entire thing had been an unintentional exchange with a stranger.  
“You're sure they didn't mean to make you cry?” Zoe questioned, her expression grim.   
“Yes, I'm sure.”   
“Do you want me to beat them up anyway? Because it's been a very long time since I've punched someone...” “No, really, I think it would be best not. Thanks, though.” Alex said, feeling slightly safer knowing that she was no longer alone in this strange world, knowing that she had someone to protect her if they needed to.  
“You are very welcome.” Zoe said, smiling. She paused for a moment. “You're ok, though, right?”  
“I'm fine.”  
“You're sure? Because if you ever want to talk –”  
“Honestly, Zoe, I'm fine. You don't need to worry.” Zoe gazed into her eyes, uncharacteristically serious, her face clearly portraying her concern. Alex looked down at her boots. It always made her feel guilty when she knew people were worrying about her, which she knew was stupid, but she just hated causing people to feel any kind of negative emotion – she imagined that this was part of the reason why she wasn't telling Zoe what really happened between her and Christina, as it would almost certainly have a detrimental affect on them both if they angered her.  
“Well, anyway, we'd better go find the others before Holly sets fire to something again...” Zoe's expression brightened, her usual humour once again lacing her voice. She began walking towards the hotel, and Alex hesitated for a second, took a deep breath, then followed.  
“Again?” she questioned, walking side by side with Zoe.  
“Yeah... when she woke up in the hotel room she couldn't find the key to the door so she burnt it down, and then couldn't put the fire out, so she attempted to use the shower and ended up breaking it and flooding the entire room...”  
Alex laughed. “At least she put the fire out.”  
“Well, yes, there is that... Honestly, she's so irresponsible...”  
They walked round the back of the hotel where they found Holly leaning against the wall, wearing an open leather jacket exposing the pink vest top she was wearing underneath. Her skin was pale and dotted with freckles, her cheeks were rounded, displaying clearly that, despite how much she denied it, she was still only a child. Her lips were red, like blood, her hair black, like shadows, and her eyes brown, like tree-bark. She stood with her left her foot pressed up against the wall, a small distance away from Evan Monroe, a sixteen year old boy with the ability to teleport. He wore slightly faded jeans and stood with his hands buried deep inside the pockets of the black hoodie he was wearing. His skin was the colour of chocolate, and his hair was black and frizzy.  
“Where the hell have you been?” Holly snapped as she caught sight of them. She crossed her arms and glowered at Zoe, not bothering to make her anger subtle. “I thought we agreed to meet here? Or did your teeny tiny little brain somehow manage to misplace that information?”  
“Jesus, calm down. It's not like I abandoned you or anything, I just caught sight of Alex and thought I should probably tell her where we were.”  
“And you didn't think to tell me first?”  
“Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that you were my mother. Calm down! I'm here now, alright?” Zoe said, exasperated. Holly glared at her, then huffed and looked in the opposite direction.  
“So,” Zoe placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the three of them. “Does anyone have even the slightest idea what's going on?”  
Alex shook her head, Holly didn't bother to respond and Evan stared down at his shoes like they were the most interesting thing in the entire world.  
“Yeah, me neither.” She sighed.  
“Well, I think it's obvious what happened.” Holly stated, slowly moving away from the wall as though supporting her own weight was too much effort.  
“Care to elaborate?”  
“Well, clearly Rowen sent us to another dimension to get us out of the way so that she's free to destroy the world.”  
“Ok, that literally makes no sense. Why would Rowen want to destroy the world?”  
“Well, I don't know! She tried too before!”  
Zoe stared at her in disbelief. “No, she didn't. She was trying to get Willow back, remember?”  
“Yeah, that's what she wants us to think.”  
“Um, Holly, you're forgetting that Rowen actually got shot –” Alex started.  
“A trick! To throw us off scent!”  
“But why would she send us to another dimension when she could literally kill us in seconds?” Zoe challenged, her arms crossed.  
“Because her powers were bound!”  
“Then how did she get out of prison?”  
Holly faltered. “I don't know, why don't you ask her?”  
Alex suddenly got the overwhelming sensation that she was being watched. She turned around, and sure enough, Christina stood by the fountain, her eyes boring into Alex's like a drill. She smiled that overly friendly smile of hers, and waved. Alex turned back around, a chill running down her spine.  
“Um, do you mind if we talk somewhere else? I just... don't feel safe here. People could be listening.” she said anxiously.  
Holly rolled her eyes. “Always so damn paranoid...”  
“Why don't we go walk in the forest for a while?” Zoe said, ignoring Holly and gesturing to the trees towering beside them. Alex nodded and the three of them began walking towards the trees – Evan hung back.  
“But what if we – ” Evan began.  
“I hate trees, with their stupid branches that pull your hair and tear your clothes. I mean, what the hell is the point in them?” Holly moaned, completely ignoring Evan. He looked at her for a moment, his facial expression blank, before lowering his head so that he was once again staring at the ground.  
“Holly, they produce oxygen. We literally wouldn't be able to survive without them.” Zoe pointed out.  
Holly scowled. “Stupid complications.”  
They walked for a while longer, the wind whispering through the bright green leaves on the trees above them. The further they walked, the more uneasy Alex felt, although it took her a while to figure out why – everything just seemed too... perfect. Every flower they passed, every leaf that brushed against their faces was vibrantly alive, not a single one of them discoloured or drooping. In fact, since they'd been walking, Alex had counted exactly three dead leaves on the ground. Usually, even in the summer, the forest floor was covered in a dull blanket of fallen leaves. But here the floor was only covered by dusty dried mud.   
“Ok, we should be far enough away to talk now. So what's the plan?” Zoe asked. Before anyone could respond, however, a loud crackling sound suddenly burst out, like radio interference. The group stopped walking, everyone with their hands clamped tightly over their ears in an attempt to block out the piercing sound, with the exception of Evan, who didn't seem too bothered. The noise stopped as abruptly as it had started, and a choir of children's voices rang out over a some sort of speaker system, although not a single speaker could be seen. Alex and Zoe shared a look of confusion as a familiar song began playing:

Jack and Jill went up the hill  
To fetch a pail of water  
Jack fell down and broke his crown  
And Jill came tumbling after

The tune was slightly distorted, with many different childlike voices overlapping one another. Alex and Zoe looked around as it played, attempting to locate its source, and Holly stood with her expression fixed into a frown. 

Jack and Jill both lost their will  
No happily ever after  
Jack fell off the deck and broke his neck  
And Jill couldn't run any faster

Alex's heart began pounding against her chest like it was trying to break out. Something was very wrong here; she'd sensed it from the moment they'd entered, but it was only now that the feeling of slight anxiety had transformed into fear, urging her to run and leave the foreboding forest.

The wolves did come and Jill did run  
But the wolves were so much faster  
They caught up to her and ripped off her hair  
And now Jill is no longer

The music cut off and the forest was plunged into silence. Zoe and Holly looked at her, perplexed.  
“What the hell was that?” Zoe exclaimed. Alex shrugged.  
“Whatever it was, it was insanely creepy. I'm thinking maybe we leave the forest now?”  
“Why, are you scared?” Holly mocked. Zoe opened her mouth, about to reply, when a loud crack sounded from somewhere in the forest, the sound of a twig snapping. Holly, Zoe, Evan and Alex turned to look in the direction of the sound, but could see nothing but trees.  
“Yes, as a matter of fact I am scared, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Can we go?” Zoe said, beginning to walk back in the direction they'd come in. Holly rolled her eyes, but Alex could tell that she was a little uneasy too, despite how much she tried to cover it up.  
“Fine, whatever.” she walked towards Zoe as she said this, followed by Evan. Alex turned to go after them, but caught something moving out of the corner of her eye and hesitated for a moment. She peered through the trees, noticing the leaves violently shaking a few metres away; something was definitely there, and she couldn't help feeling curious.  
“Could you wait a second?” she called. The three of them stopped walking.  
“What is it?” Zoe asked.  
Alex didn't respond. She didn't have to. The leaves ahead of them parted, and human-like figure staggered out, it's clothes and skin tattered and blood covered. Its eyes were nothing more than gaping, bleeding holes, and its lower lip was missing revealing yellowed, jagged teeth. The only indication to its gender was its clothes; it wore a torn dress, seemingly blue, although it was difficult to tell through the thick layer of blood and dirt that covered it. As it walked it made a sharp clicking sound with its tongue.  
Alex's first instinct was to help the poor creature – it was clearly hurt, and she was fortunate enough to have the ability to heal any injury with one touch – but something made her hang back. Perhaps it was the way it was moving towards them, walking as though its injuries didn't bother it, or the way it looked at each of them, almost as if it was pinpointing a target.  
“Are... are you ok?” Alex timidly asked. It stopped for a second, turned its head so that it was facing directly towards her, then abruptly began running. Before Alex had time to react, it leaped, digging its abnormally sharp finger nails into her shoulders and pushing her to the ground. It plunged its teeth into her jugular, and she screamed, a high pitched, pathetic sound that ended in an unnatural gurgling. Hot, sticky blood gushed out of her neck, and she began frantically flailing, desperately trying to stop the creature from tearing her apart, but the more she struggled the deeper it dug. Her neck burned. She could feel her energy gradually leaving her, and tears began seeping out of her eyes, the realization that she was helpless to stop this monster suddenly dawning on her. She stopped struggling. She was barely even aware of Zoe lifting the creature off her as she lay there, gasping and choking on her own blood.   
She couldn't die. She just couldn't. All she had to do was heal herself. All she had to do was place her hand on her injury and she would be fine. But she couldn't move her arm. She couldn't move her arm.  
She couldn't move her arm.  
No matter how hard she tried, her limbs weren't responding to her command. Her vision was slowly disappearing, her ability to breathe dissipating. She was going to die.  
A face appeared above her, though she couldn't identify it. Words were coming out of their mouth, though she couldn't understand them. She felt something on her arm, felt someone picking it up and moving it so that her hand was submerged in the crimson lake flowing from her neck. It was becoming difficult for her to think, but she focused intently on her hand, focused on pouring all of her energy into performing one simple task...  
A bright, golden light erupted from her hand, filling her neck with comforting warmth and eradicating all pain. She could feel her neck reforming beneath her hand, and she stopped choking, inhaling deeply as her stamina returned. Ever so slowly, she manoeuvred herself into a sitting position, sat there for a moment and waited for the wave of dizziness to pass, before hauling herself to her feet using a tree for support. Her legs buckled, and she almost fell, but Evan caught her and helped her back up.  
“Thank you.” she said, her voice worryingly frail. Still, at least she was alive – and she doubted she would be if Evan hadn't helped her move. He looked at her, his eyes wide with worry.  
“Are you... are you going to be ok?” he asked. She nodded. Just behind him, Holly and Zoe were ferociously fighting against the creature that had attacked Alex, plus another similar looking figure.  
“You should go and get help.” she told him.  
“Do you want to come with me?”  
“I can't – they might get hurt.”  
Evan looked at the ground, clearly struggling with the idea of leaving her behind. “Why can't I take all of you?”  
“It's too dangerous. Those... things could find their way back to the town. We need too... take care of them.”  
Evan nodded in response, but still didn't go. Alex gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “We'll be ok.”  
He hesitated for a couple more seconds, then muttered an apology and disappeared.   
Alex turned her attention to the battle going on before her eyes; the first creature, the one responsible for soaking her clothes in blood, was being scorched by Holly who had fire burning in both her hands. The second was just as grotesque as the first, with its head hanging limply below its shoulders like it was broken, and rotten skin flaking off its body, indicating that it was in a state of decomposition. It was dressed in an orange t-shirt and jeans. Zoe's nails had lengthened into long claws, and she raked them across the second creature's withered face, peeling off clumps of tattered skin. Seconds after she did, however, the missing chunks of flesh reformed – it was healing at an impossible rate. Zoe quickly realized this, and resorted to a different tactic, grabbing a long stick from the floor and ramming it through the creature's chest with the inhuman strength that her magic gave her. The stick smashed straight through and exited through the creature's back, and Alex gagged as she realized its heart was impaled on it, still beating and oozing blood. The creature continued attacking. The stick running through its body disintegrated, and the hole through its chest closed up. Zoe wasn't prepared to give up yet, though, and she jabbed the claws on her right hand into it's deformed neck whist she pulled its head with her left. With a sound in between a crack and a squelch, the creature's head detached and went rolling across the floor.  
It didn't stop its attack.  
“What the hell are we supposed to do? These things are like, super strong zombies or something. They can't be killed!” Holly yelled from where she was perched high up in one of the trees, which she had climbed to escape the first creature. She was still shooting fire directly at it, to little affect. Alex stood, watching but unable to do anything – her power was purely defensive, attempting to fight would result in her getting injured, or worse. She stared at the area just above Holly's head. Was that... a camera, embedded inside the tree bark?  
“We're going to have to run!” Zoe called whilst dodging an impossibly fast strike from the headless creature.  
“Oh, wow, I never thought of that. They'll chase after us, dumbass, and in case you haven't noticed they're fast enough to be Olympic runners. We'll never outrun them.”  
“Just... keep your one distracted.” Zoe said. She grabbed the headless creature, one hand on each shoulder, dug her claws in and pulled, ripping both arms off in one almost fluid motion. It was now practically harmless, but Zoe removed its legs too just to be sure. It collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, where it stayed, vigorously writhing. Even as Alex watched, the flesh around its neck, arms and legs began to reform. Zoe noticed this too, and swiftly lunged towards the first creature that Holly had been attempting to burn.  
“You two run! I'm right behind you!” Zoe shouted as her claws sunk into its scorched flesh. Holly leapt down from the tree and ran, but Alex hesitated for a moment, reluctant to leave her friend behind. She watched a couple of the creature's limbs drop to the floor, its blood soaking into the dry earth, and when she was certain that Zoe would be ok, she gave in to her instincts and fled the horrifying scene.


	4. Only Hope

It took every ounce of Alex's strength to not collapse onto her knees upon bursting through the trees onto the perfectly trimmed grass of Illuminae; she was absolutely exhausted. Sucking in huge gulps of air, she felt her rapidly beating heart begin to slow, the realization that she was no longer in danger calming her. Holly stood about a metre in front of her. She was gazing back into the depths of the forest, presumably looking for Zoe. Once Alex had somewhat regained her composure, she too glanced through the trees, but saw nothing except the verdant leaves, perfectly formed and perfectly still. Before she could start to panic, however, Zoe's blood-stained form came into view, and a couple of seconds later, she was standing beside them, breathing heavily.  
Silence. For the first time since she'd known them, both Holly and Zoe were completely speechless. Even after everything they'd been through, none of them knew how to react to what they'd just experienced. None of them knew what to do.  
“What the hell is this place?” Zoe said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. Alex and Holly looked at her hopelessly, neither of them able to answer.  
“I'm telling you, whatever's going on here, it has something to do with Rowen. These things always do.” Holly stated, standing up straight and pretending with all her heart that she was completely unfazed by this situation.  
“Holly, I know Rowen's powerful, but she would never have been able to do something like this.” Alex pointed out, although she was beginning to doubt the truth in that statement. Rowen was definitely not someone to be underestimated – if anyone was responsible for doing this to them, it was incredibly likely to be her, but somehow Alex felt there was more to it than that. Rowen could have killed them easily in those last few moments of her memory, but she didn't. Why send them here? What purpose could she have for them being here? It just didn't make sense.  
“You can't see when you're wrong even when it's obvious. Why do you have to be so stubborn? I know how you feel about her, but you have to stop fixating on this insane theory. Rowen is not behind this. Ok?” Zoe said, perhaps a little sharper than necessary.  
“How do you know that? Just because you don't see why she would? Yeah, well, newsflash! You can't read her mind, so how do you know what she's planning?” Holly retaliated. Alex looked at the ground, the statement meaning something entirely different to her than Holly's intent.  
“Look, I know her. This isn't -”  
“Do you?” Holly challenged. “I don't think anyone knows her, not even that lapdog of hers, Jayden or whatever his name was.”  
“This isn't her style. She's practical. If she wanted us out of the way, she would have killed us.” Zoe said, in such a way that implied she was not going to discuss it anymore. Holly scowled, but didn't continue the argument.   
Alex looked up and noticed a rather flustered looking Piper hurrying towards them, skeletal hand grasping his hat to prevent it falling. Evan followed a little further behind him, walking with slightly less urgency – he was already aware that none of them were hurt due to his knowledge of Alex's healing ability, and therefore would not feel the need to rush.  
“Oh my goodness!” Piper exclaimed upon halting in front of them. He looked them up and down, completely horrified, and Alex suddenly became incredibly aware of the sticky blood that soaked her clothes, making them cling to her body. It was uncomfortable, and was already beginning to dry, encasing her in a glutinous mass. “Are you all right?”  
“What the hell do you think, dumbass?” Holly, with one hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed into an aggressive glare, snapped. “What even are you? You look like a freaking – ”   
“We're fine, thank you. It's... not as bad as it looks.” Zoe interrupted. She looked at him curiously, frowning. “Who exactly are you?”  
“I'm Piper, the mayor of this town. I don't believe we've been properly introduced. Welcome to Illuminae!” he tried smiling, but it was shaky and uncertain, displaying his unease at their gruesome appearance.  
“You're Piper? That woman...what was her name...Christina, told me about you. I'm Zoe, this is Holly and Alex.”   
Alex snapped her head in Zoe's direction, a little taken aback. “You know Christina?”  
“Yeah, she was in my hotel room when I woke up.” she frowned. “Why? Do you know her?”  
Alex stared at the ground. “We've met.”   
She could practically feel Zoe analysing her reaction, and was thankful that Piper began talking again before she could say anything.  
“I...should like to know what occurred in the woods. You are the only people to have entered and returned alive, and it would be incredibly beneficial for me to learn more about the creatures lurking within, so... would you like to accompany me to my office?” he said hopefully.  
“Could we maybe get cleaned up first?” Zoe suggested, the glistening blood on her clothes shimmering in the early afternoon sunshine. Piper nodded.  
“Of course! Once you are ready, feel free to come over to the Town Hall, and we can discuss the forest. See you in a minute!” he gave another shaky smile before walking back to the Town Hall, leaving the four of them alone once again.  
“Are...are you ok?” Evan shyly asked.   
“Yeah, no thanks to you. Where the hell were you? Did you run off, you god damned coward, and leave us to our imminent demise?” Holly challenged, walking up to him until she was mere centimetres away. She was only just tall enough to reach below his shoulder, but seemed to tower over him nonetheless.  
“Alex...told me to find help...” he stuttered.  
“Well, you didn't do a particularly good job of it, did you? Why didn't you come back? Do you not care about us?”  
“Of course I do... I just... Piper said to stay – ” Tears sparkled in Evan's eyes, and all the muscles in his face seemed to be straining so stop them from spilling.  
“And if Piper told you to jump off a cliff, would you?”  
“Depends.” he said softly. Holly frowned.  
“I'm sorry, what? Are you actually telling me that you're so weak that – ”  
“Holly, that's enough.” Zoe commanded, placing her hand on Holly's shoulder. “We're alive, and that's all that matters. Evan would have come looking for us if we'd been much longer. Stop taking your anger out on him.”  
“You want me to take it out on you instead?”  
“No, I want us all to go back to the hotel, get cleaned up then figure out what the hell is going on. Unless you have a better idea?”  
Holly scowled and began walking towards the hotel entrance.

After reluctantly climbing in the temperamental shower for the second time that day and watching the blood spiral down the drain in graceful, almost pretty, patterns, Alex walked up to the smooth, pristine steps leading to the intricately carved wooden doors of the Town Hall wearing torn jeans and a plain black t-shirt that was slightly too big. If she was going to be staying here for a while she would have to find some more suitable clothes.  
“Finally. I almost died of old age waiting for you.” Holly said, her arms crossed, as Alex approached them. Holly and Zoe were both wearing clothes similar to Alex, whereas Evan had had no need to change and so was dressed in the same attire.  
“Ok. Everyone ready?” Zoe asked, gazing at each of them.  
“What, to go inside a building? Yeah, I think we can just about manage that.” Holly replied sarcastically. Zoe rolled her eyes, then began walking up the stairs. She placed her hand on the golden handle, but it turned seemingly by itself before she could do anything, and was opened from the inside by a young looking man with messy, curled black hair. A few things struck Alex as odd about him: first of all, two black cat ears protruded from his head, looking as much of a part of him as any other part of his body – Alex was almost certain that they weren't fake. His eyes were yellow and shaped like diamonds, and he had a fluffy black tail that flicked slowly back and fourth behind him.  
“New people!” he exclaimed happily. He seemed to be brimming with excitement, like he was about to start jumping at any second. Before they had a chance to ask him who he was, he turned and went back inside the building then waited for them to follow. The four of them hesitated a moment, each looking slightly startled, before stepping inside the building.  
The interior of the building was just as luxurious as the outside, with soft, crimson carpets flowing under their feet, and immaculate cream wallpaper decorating the walls. The ceiling was made of marble, with remarkably detailed patterns etched into its surface, and various objects were displayed in glass cases that were placed at equal intervals along the wall. The objects inside the cases were incredibly inconsistent – there seemed to be no pattern in their placement, and most of them appeared to be every day objects. On Alex's left, the case closest to her displayed an oil lamp, and on her right, a modern smartphone. It had elements of a museum, although it was definitely more abstract than most museums she'd visited.  
“Um... what are all these cases for?” Alex timidly inquired, picking the simplest question from the mass of them inside her mind that she desperately wanted answers to.   
“Piper likes to collect things!” he said, not offering any further explanation. They walked in silence from that point on; even Holly seemingly didn't know what to say.  
The corridor was quite long, and it branched out to the left and right further down. Alex could see a carpeted staircase at the end of the corridor, but they stopped halfway there by two wooden doors, one on the left and one on the right. The man opened the door on their right and lead them inside.  
“Ah! Here you are! Please, do come in.” Piper, who was sat on a leather chair behind a large wooden desk in the centre of the room, said. “Allow me to introduce you to my associate Myddnight.” he gestured to the man who had lead them to this room, who smiled shyly in response.  
The room was fairly big, with bookshelves lining the wall to right and a large, chaotic map on the wall to the left. It consisted of many different scraps of paper all stuck together to form one relatively coherent map, presumably of Somnia Moon. On the far wall a window sat overlooking the sinister forest. The desk had piles of paper spread haphazardly across its surface, and leant up against the left wall was a pile of fancy chairs stacked on top of one another.   
“Feel free to take a chair and place it at my desk.” Piper said. None of them moved.  
“What the fuck is going on here?” Holly suddenly exploded. “We wake up in a completely different dimension, then we get freaking attacked by monsters and now I'm stuck in an office with a god damn alien and...and... I don't even know what the hell you are! You look like the result of a radiation mutation! Or something else that I'm pretty sure is illegal - ”  
“Holly!” Zoe interrupted. “Will you calm down?”  
“No, I will not calm down until someone explains what the hell is going on!”  
“Holly, none of us know what happened, but we will figure it out. We just have to stay calm.” Alex said, attempting to reassure herself just as much as she was trying to reassure Holly. Piper's already wide eyes had widened even further in shock, and Myddnight had pressed himself up against the door, an expression of pure terror fixed on his face.  
“Exactly. So stop being so immature and learn to control your emotions. Ok?” Zoe's impatience was clearly portrayed in her voice.  
“I'm not immature.” Holly mumbled. She seemed to have calmed down a little, but Alex could tell that she was ready to snap again at any moment. Alex felt like she was ready to snap at any moment – she had never in her entire life experienced so many different emotions in one day, never felt so overwhelmed, so confused and so vulnerable. She had only been in this abnormal universe for less than twenty four hours, and yet already she was willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure she never had to come back here ever again. She just wanted to go home.  
“Sorry about her.” Zoe walked towards the pile of chairs and picked one up, placing it in front of Piper's desk.  
“That's quite alright.” Piper said, still looking a little startled.  
Alex followed Zoe's example and grabbed a chair for herself, placing it next to Zoe and sitting down. Evan sat next to her and Holly sat on the other side of Zoe, and once everyone was seated, Piper surveyed them anxiously. He hesitated for a moment as though he was unsure whether he should speak.  
“So, as the only people who have ever exited to forest alive, I feel it is quite important for our ongoing investigation into the secrets of the forest that you recount every single detail of the exchange that you remember.” he stated.  
“Ok,” Zoe said. “What ongoing investigation?”  
Piper looked uneasy, like he didn't particularly want to share that information. “Well, you see...there have been many reports of unorthodox sightings within the forest and we have reason to believe that these odd occurrences are linked with the children who have inexplicably disappeared. It is something that I have been meaning to look into for a while, but I cannot allow any citizens to venture into the forest as it is too dangerous. I was hoping that, perhaps you would be willing to help?”  
The group exchanged looks of confusion. None of them had been expecting that.  
“Now, I understand that it is a lot to ask, and that you wish to prioritise discovering what lead you to appear here...but, you see, everyone needs to have a job and...I am not really sure what else I can do to solve this issue. You are the only people who have ever returned still alive. You may be this town's only hope.” His large black eyes sparkled in the light from outside, and had he had eyebrows Alex was sure they would have been curved upwards in worry. He was desperate, clearly caring deeply about his town but being unable to do anything to help its citizens. As much as she hated it here, Alex couldn't help feeling sorry for him, and she suddenly had an overwhelming urge to do what he was asking.  
“So you want us to...what? Investigate the forest? After what we just went through? Yeah, I think you may be delusional.” Zoe remarked.  
“It...might not be such a bad idea.” Alex said cautiously. Zoe stared at her, clearly unable to believe what she was saying.  
“Are you actually being serious?”  
“Um...well...I think our best option is to stay here for a while until we find out what's happening, and if we can help people as well, then...I mean, we have to have some form of job if we want to stay here...”  
Zoe shrugged. “I... guess that makes sense.”  
“So...you will help uncover the secrets of the forest?” Piper asked, hope in his voice. Holly looked completely astounded, shocked that they were even considering the proposal.  
“No! No, we will not help you 'uncover the secrets of the forest', we actually quite like being alive thank you very –”  
“Holly, will you please just be quiet for one minute?” Zoe snapped. Holly crossed her arms and huffed, turning away from them. “Ok. We'll help. But only if you give us everything we need to find out what happened to us. Ok?” Zoe said. Piper looked overjoyed.  
“Of course! Of course! Anything you require! Now, please continue, I should like to know everything that happened in the forest, and perhaps we can start piecing this mystery together.”  
Zoe explained every detail, with occasional input from Alex, and when they were done, Piper was completely speechless. He leant back in his chair.  
“How odd.” he said after a long pause.  
“So...I'm guessing you don't have an explanation, then.”  
As Piper shook his head, his top hat wobbled and threatened to fall from his snow-white head. “I'm afraid not, but then, that is the purpose of your job.” He smiled, his single tooth jutting out of the side of his mouth. “Now, I imagine that you are all incredibly tired, so perhaps you should like to continue this discussion tomorrow, after you have had some rest?”  
“Sounds like a plan.” Zoe replied. Alex was completely oblivious to this, however; she'd caught sight of something outside the window, obscured by the shadows cast by the setting sun. It was difficult to see, but she could clearly make out two glowing red eyes glaring at her through the leaves, sending chills running down her spine. The more she looked, the more pairs of piercing ruby eyes revealed themselves to her, hidden high up in the trees, or lower in the bushes, all staring directly at her.  
“Alex? You ok?” Zoe's voice snapped her out of her trance, and she realized they were all standing.  
“Um, yes, it was just – ” she looked back outside the window but saw only the rapidly strengthening shadows cast by the towering trees. “It... doesn't matter. It was nothing.” She stood up.  
“You sure?”  
“Yes.”  
Zoe narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but didn't push the matter any further.  
“Ok, then let's go.” She opened the door and held it open, waiting as Holly, Evan and finally Alex, whose eyes lingered briefly on the eerily empty forest, walked through.


End file.
